Can aging be delayed and youth be prolonged?

Scientists around the world are currently working hard to find an effective way to stop or slow aging and prolong youth.

Aging is an inevitable process. Regardless of a person's lifestyle, the body's internal systems deteriorate over time and cease to function properly.

However, this process can be delayed. How can aging be slowed down?

Today, maintaining youth has become a real trend. The global market for anti-aging products, whether anti-aging creams or Botox injections, was valued at approximately $25.9 billion in 2023. Experts predict an average growth rate of 7.3% by 2030. However, they cannot turn back time and rejuvenate the body. To solve this problem, scientists around the world are trying to understand the biological causes of aging.

Contemporary scientific theory suggests that biological aging is based on two processes: the general deterioration of the body at the cellular level and the decline in the body's ability to remove old or dysfunctional proteins and cells. This deterioration includes, for example, the emergence of genetic mutations, as well as the gradual shortening of chromosomes at the ends of telomeres. Telomere depletion is associated with the visual signs of aging, graying hair, and sagging skin.

Although no "drug" has been invented to prevent aging, recent research is helping us get closer to understanding how to slow down biological aging.

Many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, are associated with the accumulation of harmful forms of various proteins in the brain. The primary risk factor is aging, as the body's ability to eliminate toxins weakens with age.

This means that by increasing the efficiency of the aging body's "cleansing" systems, you can protect internal structures from deterioration. In a 2024 study, scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center observed that restoring the function of the neck lymphatic vessels could help better remove waste from the brain, including those that impede neuronal function and lead to various forms of dementia.

The truth is that cerebrospinal fluid is responsible for removing excess protein produced by brain cells. To complete this "cleansing" process, it must enter the lymphatic system, through which it reaches the kidneys, where it is processed along with other body byproducts.

In their new study, scientists were able to image the path taken by cerebrospinal fluid laden with protein waste in elderly mice. The experts also recorded the pulsation of the lymphatic vessels through which vital waste is removed from the brain. It became clear that as the body ages, the frequency of blood vessel contractions required to utilize proteins decreases, and the rate of removal of contaminated fluid from the brain was 63% slower in elderly rodents than in young rodents.

A team of scientists attempted to increase the frequency of lymphatic contractions using prostaglandin F2α. It is typically used to induce labor. It causes smooth muscle contraction, making it an ideal tool for stimulating blood vessels. Giving the drug to elderly mice increased the flow of lymph, which was filled with unwanted proteins, to the same level as in young rodents.

This innovative approach has yet to be tested in humans, but, as the study authors emphasize, it could in the near future become key to restoring the brain's cleansing systems. In the distant future, it could help save humans from dementia.

Source: TASS - https://ar.rt.com/yf70 - Published on 02-10-2024